Playing Time For 2014 Second-Rounders
The stock value of the highly-touted 2014 NBA draft class has taken a dip thanks to numerous injuries and the overall underwhelming play of the group. Hoops Rumors’ Chuck Myron previously looked at the playing time that the first round draft picks were receiving as rookies, which saw only five out of the 30 opening-round selections logging more than 20 minutes on a nightly basis.
This lack of playing time holds true for the men selected in the second round of the draft as well. Only one player, K.J. McDaniels, is logging more than 20 minutes per contest, but in all fairness he is doing so for the Sixers, who are more about rebuilding through the draft than they are about trying to snag a playoff berth this season. But the early-season success of McDaniels doesn’t necessarily represent a huge surprise, and is something that I predicted in his pre-draft prospect profile. If McDaniels’ solid play continues he will likely make the Sixers regret only inking him to a one-year deal, setting the rookie up to become a hot commodity as a restricted free agent after the season.
McDaniels’ agent Mark Bartelstein will also be able to cash in on the decision to pass on Philadelphia’s original four-year offer. In regards to his client signing a one-year deal, Bartelstein had said, “The 76ers have a philosophy that they’re adhering to, and we totally respect that, but it doesn’t fit for K.J. and us. I just totally disagree with the idea of doing a four-year deal that includes a structure of two non-guaranteed years. We think K.J. is going to be a good player, and it came down to doing a one-year deal and letting the market determine his value. There’s no hard feelings. The Sixers’ philosophy has worked for them. It just doesn’t work for us.”
Out of the 30 second-rounders chosen this year, 13 of them either didn’t sign NBA contracts or make it out of training camp on an NBA roster. Though there are some players like Thanasis Antetokounmpo and Semaj Christon who opted to head to the D-League, and others such as Louis Labeyrie and Vasilije Micic are considered “draft and stash” prospects who will play overseas for the time being. A number of the others will pin their NBA hopes on potentially snagging a 10-day contract after January 5th when the league begins allowing such arrangements, though most will more than likely have to wait until the Summer League begins to try and rekindle any NBA interest in their services.
Here’s a look at how many minutes each second-round pick is playing, ranked by minutes per game, with their respective draft positions in parentheses and additional notes where appropriate:
More than 20 minutes per game
- K.J. McDaniels, Sixers (No. 32) — 25.2: Has appeared in 26 games
Between 15-20 minutes per game
- No players
Between 10-15 minutes per game
- Spencer Dinwiddie, Pistons (No. 38) — 12.4: Has only appeared in seven games
- Jerami Grant, Sixers (No. 39) — 12.3: Has appeared in 12 games
- Nick Johnson, Rockets (No. 42) — 11.1: Has appeared in 15 games
- Jordan Clarkson, Lakers (No. 46) — 11.0: Has appeared in 15 games
- Cory Jefferson, Nets (No. 60) — 10.4: Has appeared in 14 games
- Joe Harris, Cavs (No. 33) — 10.3: Has appeared in 23 games
Between 5-10 minutes per game
- Cameron Bairstow, Bulls (No. 49) — 10.4: Has only appeared in seven games
- Johnny O’Bryant III, Bucks (No. 36) — 8.5: Has only appeared in four games
- Cleanthony Early, Knicks (No. 34) — 7.7: Has only appeared in seven games, Out for at least a month due to injury
- Russ Smith, Pelicans (No. 47) — 6.5: Has only appeared in four games
- Markel Brown, Nets (No. 44) — 5.4: Has only appeared in seven games
Fewer than 5 minutes per game
- Glenn Robinson III, Wolves (No. 40) — 4.3: Has appeared in 12 games
- Jarnell Stokes, Grizzlies (No. 35) — 3.9: Has appeared in 10 games
- Dwight Powell, Mavs (No. 45) — 1.7: Has appeared in only 6 games, recently traded to Dallas
- Devyn Marble, Magic (No. 56) — 1.0: Has played in only five games
Haven’t appeared in an NBA game yet
- Damien Inglis, Bucks (No. 31) — Out indefinitely with a broken right foot
Not on an NBA roster
- Thanasis Antetokounmpo (No. 51)
- Alec Brown (No. 50)
- Semaj Christon, (No. 55)
- Nemanja Dangubic (No. 54)
- DeAndre Daniels (No. 37)
- Alessandro Gentile (No. 53)
- Nikola Jokic (No. 41)
- Louis Labeyrie (No. 57)
- Jordan McRae (No. 58)
- Vasilije Micic (No. 52)
- Lamar Patterson (No. 48)
- Walter Tavares (No. 43)
- Xavier Thames (No. 59)
Eastern Notes: Williams, Marble, Tolliver
Nets point guard Deron Williams returned to action today but didn’t start the game out on the court. Williams said that he’s fine with coming off of the bench as long as the starters play well, Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com writes. “I’m all for the team. It doesn’t really matter to me,” said Williams. “I’m still trying to get my rhythm back and obviously I’m on a minutes restriction right now, so I’m all for it.” Williams has been the subject of trade rumors involving the Kings recently, but he did not want to address the subject, saying, “When a trade is final, then I’ll talk to y’all about trade rumors. How about that? When a trade happens I’ll talk about trade rumors because then it’ll actually be a trade.”
Here’s more from the East:
- The Magic have assigned rookie Devyn Marble to the D-League, the team announced. Marble will join the Erie BayHawks after appearing in just five minutes of action for Orlando all season.
- Cavs big man Anderson Varejao underwent successful surgery to repair his torn left Achilles tendon today, the team has announced. Varejao is expected to miss the remainder of the season.
- Stan Van Gundy called the Pistons’ acquisition of Anthony Tolliver a “no-brainer” and labeled the veteran sharpshooter as a “solid pro with a very good contract,” notes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.
Charlie Adams contributed to this post.
2015/16 Salary Rankings: Shooting Guards
Hoops Rumors is in the process of ranking the cap hit for each NBA player by position. I previously ran down the point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward, and center salaries for the 2014/15 season. I’ve also begun looking ahead to the 2015/16 campaign with a rundown of the cap hits for the point guards. Next on the agenda will be a look forward at the salaries for shooting guards already inked to deals for next season.
All told, NBA teams have committed a total of $305,799,701 in cap hits so far for next season to the men charged with lighting up the scoreboards around the league. The average hit for the two spot so far for 2015/16 is a respectable $4,853,964, with Kobe Bryant of the Lakers topping the list with an impressive $25MM coming his way. Though it should be noted that the list and rankings will change greatly depending on how the free agent market develops next summer.
I also should add that teams won’t necessarily pay out every dollar listed here. There are quite a few players who have non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts. Some of those players will be sweating it out until the January 2015 deadline. That’s when teams must waive players with no specific guarantee date written into their contracts to avoid having to guarantee their salaries for the rest of that season.
Most salaries align with cap hits, but that’s not the case for players like Jeremy Lin , who’s receiving close to $15MM from the Lakers during the 2014/15 season even though his cap hit was little more than half that amount, because of the contract he signed through the Gilbert Arenas Provision. In addition, incentive clauses that a player either triggers or fails to meet can leave a player with more or less money than his cap hit reflects. Still, the purpose of this list is to show the relative pay scale by position, which is why all contracts are included in this post.
The league’s shooting guards are listed below, in descending order of cap hit for next season:
- Kobe Bryant (Lakers) $25,000,000
- Dwyane Wade (Heat) $16,125,000 [Player Option]
- James Harden (Rockets) $15,756,438
- Eric Gordon (Pelicans) $15,514,031 [Player Option]
- Klay Thompson (Warriors) $15,501,000
- Andre Iguodala (Warriors) $11,710,456
- DeMar DeRozan (Raptors) $10.1MM
- Alec Burks (Jazz) $9,463,484
- Lance Stephenson (Hornets) $9MM
- Monta Ellis (Mavs) $8,720,000
- O.J. Mayo (Bucks) $8MM
- Avery Bradley (Celtics) $7,730,337
- Arron Afflalo (Nuggets) $7.5MM [Player Option]
- Kevin Martin (Wolves) $7,085,000
- J.J. Redick (Clippers) $7,085,000
- J.R. Smith (Knicks) $6,399,750 [Player Option]
- Jodie Meeks (Pistons) $6,270,000
- Kyle Korver (Hawks) $5,746,479
- Bradley Beal (Wizards) $5,694,674
- Courtney Lee (Grizzlies) $5,675,000
- Victor Oladipo (Magic) $5,192,520
- Tony Allen (Grizzles) $5,168,539
- Dion Waiters (Cavs) $5,138,430
- Corey Brewer (Rockets) $4,905,000 [Player Option]
- Ben Gordon (Magic) $4.5MM
- C.J. Miles (Pacers) $4,392,225
- Jared Dudley (Bucks) $4,250,000 [Early Termination Option]
- Vince Carter (Grizzlies) $4,088,019
- Bojan Bogdanovic (Nets) $3,425,510
- Evan Turner (Celtics) $3,425,510
- Quincy Pondexter (Grizzlies) $3,382,023
- Anthony Morrow (Thunder) $3,344,000
- Ben McLemore (Kings) $3,156,600
- Randy Foye (Nuggets) $3,135,000
- Jeremy Lamb (Thunder) $3,034,356
- Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Pistons) $2,891,760
- Nik Stauskas (Kings) $2,869,440
- C.J. McCollum (Blazers) $2,525,160
- Evan Fournier (Magic) $2,288,205
- Tony Wroten (Sixers) $2,179,353
- Kent Bazemore (Hawks) $2MM
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks) $1,953,960
- James Young (Celtics) $1,749,840
- Zoran Dragic (Suns) $1,706,250
- Gary Harris (Nuggets) $1,587,480
- Jordan Adams (Grizzles) $1,404,600
- Alan Anderson (Nets) $1,333,484 [Player Option]
- Brandon Rush (Warriors) $1,270,964 [Player Option]
- Reggie Bullock (Clippers) $1,252,440
- Andre Roberson (Thunder) $1,210,800
- P.J. Hairston (Hornets) $1,201,440
- Archie Goodwin (Suns) $1,160,160
- C.J. Wilcox (Clippers) $1,159,680
- Garrett Temple (Wizards) $1,100,602
- E’Twaun Moore (Bulls) $1,015,421
- Toure’ Murry (Jazz) $1MM
- Allen Crabbe (Blazers) $947,276
- Troy Daniels (Rockets) $947,276
- Ricky Ledo (Mavs) $947,276
- Hollis Thompson (Sixers) $947,276
- Markel Brown (Nets) $845,059
- Joe Harris (Cavs) $845,059
- Nick Johnson (Rockets) $845,059
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
And-Ones: Selby, Cavs, Knicks, Rockets
Josh Selby, a 2011 second round draft pick of the Grizzlies, nearly quit the game as he bounced between playing overseas and the NBA D-League, David Pick of Basketball Insiders writes. Selby is currently trying to catch the eyes of NBA scouts while playing over in Israel, though Selby said that no NBA teams have been in contact with him this season, Pick notes. “I want to help my team reach the playoffs and take them as far as possible,” Selby said. “As long as I take care of business and win here, the NBA will come find me.”
Here’s more from around the league and abroad:
- Joe Alexander has officially inked a deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv, the team announced (translation by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). Alexander had a $45K buyout amount on his D-League contract with the Santa Cruz Warriors, Gino Pilato of D-League Digest reports (Twitter link).
- The Cavs are performing their due diligence on available options, but are in no rush to replace the injured Anderson Varejao, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). Cleveland is intrigued by the possibilities of playing “small ball,” Spears adds.
- Knicks president Phil Jackson took to Twitter yesterday to promise fans that 2015 would hold better things for New York than 2014 has. But the Knicks’ star player, Carmelo Anthony, noted that Jackson doesn’t have much time to make the necessary changes before the year ends to ensure that statement comes true, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. Anthony is also growing increasingly frustrated with the team’s lack of consistency and progress, Begley adds. “We have spurts throughout the course of the game where we are showing something, showing that we’re getting it and we’re focused and we have the energy to go out and do it,” Anthony said. “But there are times where we show that we’re not even out there on the basketball court. We gotta start trying to put a whole game together.”
- The Rockets hope to open up a roster spot for Josh Smith by completing a trade by Friday rather than waiving a player, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Houston is currently pursuing various deals to try to make this happen, Stein notes. The Rockets are reportedly willing to trade Isaiah Canaan, Joey Dorsey, Tarik Black, Nick Johnson and Clint Capela.
Western Notes: Suns, Mekel, Curry
The Suns have assigned Tyler Ennis, Archie Goodwin, and T.J. Warren to the Bakersfield Jam, their D-League affiliate, the Associated Press reports. Ennis and Warren each appeared in two games during their one previous assignment to Bakersfield this season. Warren is averaging 36 points and 6.0 rebounds for the Jam, and Ennis has averaged 22 points and 7.5 assists per contest. This will be Goodwin’s first trip of the season to the D-League.
Here’s the latest from the Western Conference:
- With the Warriors‘ fast start to the season, Stephen Curry‘s stature around the league and his value is rising right along with the franchise’s, Antonio Gonzalez of The Associated Press writes.
- Gal Mekel said that he has passed on numerous overseas offers, and that he “wouldn’t have been able to live with himself” if he had missed out on any NBA offers because of accepting an overseas deal, David Pick of Eurobasket reports (Twitter links). Mekel was recently waived by the Pelicans, though New Orleans coach Monty Williams has indicated that the team will consider re-signing the player.
- Kevin Durant‘s recent ankle injury has shown just how fragile the Thunder‘s playoff hopes are, Royce Young of ESPN.com writes. “You can’t take winning for granted,” Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said. “Winning a game is hard. My first-year coach, Jimmy Lynam, used to always say that. Winning a game in this league is tough. And number one is health. Having your full roster to work with gives you the best chance to win.”
Following Specific Players On Hoops Rumors
The majority of players who were signed this past offseason became eligible to be traded on December 15th. This will pave the way for numerous potential deals between now and the February trade deadline. In addition to methods of keeping track of your favorite teams as they continue to mold their rosters, Hoops Rumors also provides ways to easily follow the latest on all of your favorite players. If you want to stay up to date on Ray Allen‘s or Jermaine O’Neal‘s continued free agency, you can find Allen’s page right here and O’Neal’s here. For intel on where a potential trade candidate like Deron Williams might end up, go here.
Every player we’ve written about has his own rumors page. You can find any player by using our search box (located in the right sidebar); by clicking his tag at the bottom of a post in which he’s discussed; or, by simply typing his name in your address bar after hoopsrumors.com, substituting dashes for spaces. For example, Allen’s page is hoopsrumors.com/ray-allen.
You can also set up an RSS feed for any of our player pages by adding /feed to the end of the page URL, like this: hoopsrumors.com/ray-allen/feed. Entering that URL into the reader of your choice should enable you to get updates whenever we write about Allen. It works for teams, too. If you’re a Mavericks fan, you can enter hoopsrumors.com/dallas-mavericks/feed into your reader and stay on top of all the latest from Dallas.
In addition to players and teams, there are a number of other subjects you can track by clicking on the tags that we use at the bottom of posts. You can keep tabs on news related to next year’s draft right here. Items related to the NBA D-League, including assignments and recalls, can be found on this rumors page or in our tracker as well. Any news that has to do with potential rises in the salary cap for next year and beyond can be found here. Again, you can set up a feed with any of these pages by adding /feed to the end of the URL.
You can also follow any specific player or team by using the free Trade Rumors app for iOS and Android devices. The Trade Rumors app brings together content from our three sites: MLB Trade Rumors, Hoops Rumors, and Pro Football Rumors. You can easily scroll left to right and click on the image of the article you want to read. The Trade Rumors app is highly customizable. You can add feeds for any of the 92 MLB, NBA, and NFL teams, as well as for any of the thousands of players in our archives, by using the settings icon up top for iOS and the pencil icon up top for Android. You can create a multi-sport experience tailored to your specific interests, or you can limit your app entirely to one sport by removing the others.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
2015/16 Salary Rankings: Point Guards
Hoops Rumors is in the process of ranking the cap hit for each NBA player by position. I previously ran down the point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward, and center salaries for the 2014/15 season. Next on the agenda will be a look forward at the salaries for point guards for the 2015/16 campaign.
All told, NBA teams have committed a total of $364,309,784 in cap hits so far for next season to the men who facilitate the offenses around the league. The average hit for the one spot so far for next season is a respectable $6,281,203, with Chris Paul of the Clippers topping the list for the second straight year with an impressive $21,468,696 coming his way. Though it should be noted that the list and rankings will change greatly depending on how the free agent market develops next summer.
It should also be noted that teams won’t necessarily pay out every dollar listed here. There are quite a few players who have non-guaranteed or partially guaranteed contracts. Some of those players will be sweating it out until the January 2015 deadline. That’s when teams must waive players with no specific guarantee date written into their contracts to avoid having to guarantee their salaries for the rest of that season.
Most salaries align with cap hits, but that’s not the case for players like Jeremy Lin , who’s receiving close to $15MM from the Lakers during the 2014/15 season even though his cap hit was little more than half that amount, because of the contract he signed through the Gilbert Arenas Provision. In addition, incentive clauses that a player either triggers or fails to meet can leave a player with more or less money than his cap hit reflects. Still, the purpose of this list is to show the relative pay scale by position, which is why all contracts are included in this post.
The league’s point guards are listed below, in descending order of cap hit for next season:
- Chris Paul (Clippers) $21,468,696
- Deron Williams (Nets) $21,042,800
- Derrick Rose (Bulls) $20,093,064
- Russell Westbrook (Thunder) $16,744,218
- Kyrie Irving (Cavs) $15,856,500
- John Wall (Wizards) $15,851,950
- Eric Bledsoe (Suns) $13,500,000
- Tony Parker (Spurs) $13,437,500
- Ricky Rubio (Wolves) $12.7MM
- Ty Lawson (Nuggets) $12,404,595
- Kyle Lowry (Raptors) $12MM
- Kemba Walker (Hornets) $12MM
- Stephen Curry (Warriors) $11,370,786
- Jrue Holiday (Pelicans) $10,595,507
- Mike Conley (Grizzlies) $9,388,426
- Brandon Jennings (Pistons) $8,344,479
- George Hill (Pacers) $8MM
- Jeff Teague (Hawks) $8MM
- Goran Dragic (Suns) $7,500,000 [Player Option]
- Jose Calderon (Knicks) $7,402,812
- Isaiah Thomas (Suns) $6,912,869
- Greivis Vasquez (Raptors) $6.6MM
- Jarrett Jack (Nets) $6.3MM
- Shaun Livingston (Warriors) $5,543,725
- Darren Collison (Kings) $5,013,559
- Mario Chalmers (Heat) $4.3MM
- Damian Lillard (Blazers) $4,236,287
- Devin Harris (Mavs) $4,053,446
- Raymond Felton (Mavs) $3,950,313 [Player Option]
- Dante Exum (Jazz) $3,777,720
- Patrick Mills (Spurs) $3,578,947
- Marcus Smart (Celtics) $3,431,040
- D.J. Augustin (Pistons) $3MM
- Jerryd Bayless (Bucks) $3MM
- Kirk Hinrich (Bulls) $2,854,940 [Player Option]
- Brian Roberts (Hornets) $2,854,940
- Luke Ridnour (Magic) $2,750,000
- Trey Burke (Jazz) $2,658,240
- Elfrid Payton (Magic) $2,505,720
- Shelvin Mack (Hawks) $2,433,333
- Michael Carter-Williams (Sixers) $2,399,040
- Steve Blake (Blazers) $2,170,465 [Player Option]
- Jordan Farmar (Clippers) $2,170,465 [Player Option]
- Ramon Sessions (Kings) $2,170,465
- Beno Udrih (Grizzlies) $2,170,465
- Zach LaVine (Wolves) $2,148,360
- Dennis Schröder (Hawks) $1,763,400
- Pablo Prigioni (Knicks) $1,734,572
- Tyler Ennis (Suns) $1,662,360
- Shabazz Napier (Heat) $1,294,440
- Isaiah Canaan (Rockets) $947,276
- Ray McCallum (Kings) $947,276
- Phil Pressey (Celtics) $947,276
- Nate Wolters (Bucks) $947,276
- Jordan Clarkson (Lakers) $845,059
- Spencer Dinwiddie (Pistons) $845,059
- Erick Green (Nuggets) $845,059
- Russ Smith (Pelicans) $845,059
The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.
Eastern Notes: Monroe, Nets, Embiid
A number of league insiders believe that Greg Monroe, who will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, will end up with the Knicks, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops writes. “I could see $48MM for four years. I don’t think he’s a max [contract] guy, but he is pretty good. He might get more based on who is left on the board. I could see New York overpaying him,” a league executive told Scotto.
An Eastern Conference scout also believes that Monroe and the Knicks could be a fit down the line. “I think the Knicks are a possible free agency destination,” the scout told Scotto. “He has above-average passing ability, which makes him attractive for the triangle. If the Knicks strike out on the so-called top-tier guys, I think it makes sense.”
Here’s more from the East:
- Jorge Gutierrez has been acquired as a returning player by the Canton Charge of the NBA D-League, Gino Pilato of D-League Digest reports (Twitter link). Gutierrez was recently waived by the Sixers after they acquired him from the Nets in the deal for Andrei Kirilenko.
- According to Howard Beck of Bleacher Report, Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov is to blame for the mess that the franchise has become. Prokhorov’s push for “star power” to be added to strengthen the team’s brand during the move to Brooklyn led to a number of questionable decisions, as well as the team stripping itself of future draft picks and tradeable assets, Beck opines.
- While Joel Embiid isn’t likely to suit up for the Sixers this season, coach Brett Brown is still counting on the rookie to become a leader on the team, Michael Kaskey-Blomain of Philly.com writes. “We’re really trying to go overboard and help him understand what leadership is,” Brown said. “I’m desperately trying to build something that’s not top-driven. I don’t want it to be top-driven down. It needs to be the team dictating some rules and habits. And what is culture? What’s the behavior we want amongst our players? And I think the most powerful way to do that is something that’s player-driven.”
And-Ones: Mavs, Nuggets, Mekel
Mavs president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson expressed confidence that Dallas would soon bolster its bench with the addition of either Jermaine O’Neal or Josh Smith, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com reports. “I feel pretty good that we’ll be able to come to terms with one,” Nelson said. “Certainly to come up with both would be just hitting a grand slam home run. Look, there’s a long line for suitors on both fronts. I think the fact that Jermaine has chosen Dallas to be his home in the long term certainly has its place and resonates with time with family and such. And here’s a guy who has a long history not only with our coach but with our point guard/quarterback. That certainly has a place.”
As for Smith’s potential role with the team, Nelson said, “If he did fit and if he joined us, it would be a sixth man situation, but we’d see him as a starting-caliber type guy. He’s got a very rare combination of strength and versatility. He’d be a great addition for whatever team is lucky enough to get his services, but he understands and is fully aware that we have a power forward that we’re very comfortable with and Tyson [Chandler] has got the center position locked down, so he would be a heck of a piece at any one of our three frontline positions.”
Here’s more from around the league:
- Nuggets coach Brian Shaw has repeatedly told his players that they must improve their play soon or the team is at risk for changes, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post reports (Twitter links). “You see teams are making moves and making changes. I’m sure we’d be one of those teams, too,” Shaw said.
- The Rockets sent the Wolves $1MM as part of the Corey Brewer trade, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link).
- Gal Mekel‘s agent, Maurizio Balducci, is exploring a return overseas to Maccabi Tel Aviv for his client, who was recently waived by the Pelicans, David Pick of Eurobasket reports (Twitter links). Maccabi is offering Mekel a long-term agreement with multiple NBA outs, Pick adds. New Orleans coach Monty Williams had also previously indicated that the Pelicans were considering offering a new deal to Mekel.
Poll: Best Fit For Josh Smith?
Pistons coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy pulled quite a stunner on Monday when he waived Josh Smith. Smith won’t come off waivers until Wednesday, but it’s likely that he won’t be without a team for long. Numerous franchises have reportedly expressed interest in signing Smith, including the Clippers, Rockets, Mavericks, Heat, Lakers, Grizzlies, and Kings. While Houston is currently rumored to be the favorite to obtain Smith’s services, the veteran forward is apparently in high demand despite only averaging 13.1 points on 39.1% shooting this season, with both numbers being below his career averages of 15.4 PPG and 45.6%.
The competition to ink Smith is most certainly due to the price tag he can be had for, which will be more than likely for the league-minimum salary, or not much more than that, which is all that most of the teams linked to Smith have to offer the big man. Detroit had garnered little to no interest in its efforts to deal Smith prior to its decision to release him, when his price tag would have been $13.5MM for this season, and whose contract ran for two more seasons at the same rate.
While Smith was clearly not performing up to his contract this year, which according to Hoops Rumors’ 2014/15 Salary Rankings, was good for the ninth highest cap hit amongst small forwards in the league, he’ll be a bargain at around the league-minimum for whichever franchise signs him. But which team would be the best fit for Smith?
One of the biggest issues with Smith’s production in Detroit was its insistence on trying to make him a small forward in an oversize frontcourt, a spot that Smith clearly was not suited to play. On his next team, if his coaches are wise, he’ll more than likely go back to his natural power forward position, though he can also provide some minutes at the three as well in a pinch.
Smith has been a starter for 758 of the 781 career games that he has appeared in, though this trend isn’t necessarily going to continue with his next team. Here’s a quick rundown of the starting power forwards on the teams reported to be in the hunt for Smith:
- Clippers: Blake Griffin [23.1 PPG, 7.7 RPG]
- Lakers: Carlos Boozer [12.8 PPG, 7.3 RPG]
- Heat: Chris Andersen [3.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG] or Udonis Haslem [4.1 PPG, 4.0 PPG]
- Grizzlies: Zach Randolph [16.1 PPG, 11.4 RPG]
- Rockets: Donatas Motiejunas [10.6 PPG, 6.1 RPG]
- Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki [18.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG]
- Kings: Jason Thompson [5.4 PPG, 6.7 RPG]
The quandaries for Smith when making the decision on which team to sign with is how to best market himself for next season and which circumstance would allow him to best rebuild his value. Does he try and chase a ring with a contending team? Or does he try to maximize his playing time, as well as have the best opportunity to put up numbers? Out of the teams listed, Smith would only be a clear upgrade as a starter for the Kings, Heat, and Lakers. Miami is the only one of those three that has a realistic shot at the playoffs, mainly because the Heat reside in the much weaker Eastern Conference, which should give Pat Riley‘s squad the edge amongst that group if Smith chooses the playing time route.
If Smith wants to join a contending team, as has been mentioned as being one of his criteria, then relocating to Texas may be his wisest decision. Smith is close friends with Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo, who have each campaigned for their respective teams to ink the veteran, and joining the Rockets or the Mavs would certainly be appealing for him as a result of those relationships. Both of those franchises have realistic shots to go deep into the playoffs, but Houston would also offer Smith a much better opportunity to log significant minutes with Motiejunas currently penciled in as the starter.
So where do you think the best fit for Smith to land would be? Cast your votes and sound off below in the comments section to expand on why you believe this would be the best situation for Smith.